Wednesday, June 6, 2012

FITNESS Blogger Meet & Tweet #FitBlogNYC

On May 9th, FITNESS magazine hosted their first-ever blogger meet & tweet (#FitBlogNYC) with New Media Strategies, focusing on health, beauty, wellness, nutrition, diet and gear. The industry's best bloggers previewed new products and trends, met with FITNESS editors and networked with other bloggers during lunch. There were also some great sessions and panels, including beauty secrets and tips with FITNESS Beauty Director Eleanor Langston and Laura Geller and how to turn your blog into a business with Fitfluential Founder Kelly Olexa, and Fitfluential Ambassadors Tina Haupert, Carla Birnberg and Julie Fagan. The day ended with a Tabura pop-up workout with KiwiSweat. This was the first time I took a Tabura class, which was so intense I couldn't get through it without taking a water break. It combines African dance with kickboxing.

Check out the jam-packed day filled with amazing sponsors:

Need a new workout shoe in fun colors? Take a look at the Reebok RealFlex, engineered with with flex-friendly nodes, designed to help your feet move and flex as you run, jump and stretch. I have the Reebok Optimal ($94.99) in Grey/Pink. These shoes are super lightweight and comfortable, made with mesh/soft suede. Also, checkout the Reebok CrossFit collection for more footwear, apparel and accessories, including the CrossFit Nano 2.0, shorts and racer back tanks.

The Oakley Polarized Overtime ($170) sunglasses are my new favorite pair. They have incorporated fashion and fitness with this O Matter® lightweight square frame. They also feature Three-Point Fit and patented hydrophilic Unobtainium® earpads and nosepads that hold the sunglasses in perfect alignment. So they stay in place, don't slide while running or snag your hair! They even come in a Polarized Overtime Asian Fit version ($180).

Also, checkout oakley.com for the newest sports bras, shorts, bags and more apparel in blue, grey, yellow and prints.

If it's something I never thought I would wear, it would have to be Birkenstock sandals. To my surprise, the Patent Birko-Flor to be quite comfortable and easy to wear in black patent leather, with other fashionable colors available. I actually ended up trying this thong style because the classic women's style featured at #FitBlogNYC was too big for me. The kids' Patent Birko-Flor sandal fits me perfectly in a size 34 (3-3.5), and I'm usually a size 35 (5).

The new V8 V-Fusion Smoothies contain one full serving of vegetables and one full serving of fruit in each 8-ounce glass, with no added sugar, artificial colors , flavors or preservatives. Contains 130 calories or less, providing a good source of vitamins A, C and E. The V8 V-Fusion Smoothies are available in Strawberry Banana, Wild Berry and my favorite, Mango.

At the Vichy booth I checked out one of their star products, CelluDestock ($39.50), designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite for a visible loss of up to one cellulite grade after four weeks of use. This year Vichy launched Destock Stomach ($36.50), which combines pure caffeine, yerba mate and green coffee extract to help improve micro-circulation and refine the skin around the waistline. Vichy just launched their digital campaign, inviting women to take a BOOTY BREAK at BootyBreak.com.

A healthy, delicious lunch - grilled marinated salmon, salad and fruit. During the luncheon I also stopped by the Sun-Maid snack station for samples of Vanilla Yogurt Raisins.